MSI Raider GE78 HX (13VX) review – one of the best gaming devices comes at a high price


MSI is going old school with the new Raider series. The GE78 HX (13VX) is an homage to the past of the brand, but with a look to the future. Part of that is the RGB illumination, which comes from almost everywhere.

On the other hand, the visual features of the machine are nothing, compared to what’s inside. We not only see Intel’s latest and greatest, but it also comes in the more powerful 55W TDP option (ergo the HX series).

Similarly, the graphics cards you can choose from are the RTX 4070, RTX 4080, and RTX 4090, which are the cream of the crop of gaming at the moment of writing this review. The sublime tech upgrades don’t end here. Ever since DDR5 hit the market, we’ve been waiting for SODIMM sticks to exceed 5000MHz. The ones inside this device reach 5600MHz, which is insane.

But wait, that’s not all! In a world, where some laptops refuse to take the concept of Gen 4, MSI implements Gen 5 M.2 PCIe x4 SSD support. Well, such SSDs are almost nonexistent at the moment, and you shouldn’t expect to load Hogwarts Legacy in 2 nanoseconds. However, it is a welcomed feature nonetheless.

Interestingly, MSI has decided to stay true to traditions and didn’t deviate to 18-inch displays for the Raider GE78 HX (13VX). Instead, the trusted 17-inch configuration receives a 1920×1200 165Hz, and 2560×1600 240Hz IPS options. As you can tell, they have a 16:10 aspect ratio, which aids with productivity tasks.

You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/msi-raider-ge78-hx-13vx/

Contents


Specs, Drivers, What’s in the box

MSI Raider GE78 HX (13Vx) - Specs

  • AUO B170QAN01.2 (AUO84A6)
  • Color accuracy  3.3  0.8
  • HDD/SSD
  • up to 8000GB SSD
  • M.2 Slot
  • 1x 2280 M.2 PCIe 5.0 x4 + 1x 2280 M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4  See photo
  • RAM
  • up to 96GB
  • OS
  • Windows 11 Home, Windows 11 Pro, No OS
  • Battery
  • 99Wh, 4-cell
  • Body material
  • Plastic / Polycarbonate, Aluminum
  • Dimensions
  • 380 x 298 x 23 mm (14.96" x 11.73" x 0.91")
  • Weight
  • 3.10 kg (6.8 lbs)
  • Ports and connectivity
  • 1x USB Type-A
  • 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps)
  • 1x USB Type-A
  • 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps)
  • 1x USB Type-C
  • 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), DisplayPort
  • 1x USB Type-C
  • 4.0, Thunderbolt 4, DisplayPort
  • 1x USB Type-C
  • 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), Power Delivery (PD), DisplayPort
  • HDMI
  • 2.1 (8K@60Hz / 4K@120Hz)
  • Card reader
  • SD
  • Ethernet LAN
  • 10, 100, 1000, 2500 Mbit/s
  • Wi-Fi
  • 802.11ax
  • Bluetooth
  • 5.3
  • Audio jack
  • 3.5mm Combo Jack
  • Features
  • Fingerprint reader
  • Web camera
  • FHD IR
  • Backlit keyboard
  • Microphone
  • Speakers
  • 2x 2W Speakers + 4x 2W Woofers, Dynaudio, Nahimic 3
  • Optical drive

Drivers

All drivers and utilities for this notebook can be found here: https://www.msi.com/Laptop/Raider-GE78-HX-13VX/support

What’s in the box?

This device comes in pretty packaging, that houses nothing more than the ordinary – some paperwork and a huge 330W power adapter.



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MARK
MARK
8 months ago

Microcenter currently has the MSI GE78, I9 with the 4070 processor for 2049. Hell of a deal for the specs.